Just a Thought

Just a Thought

Lately, I have been given considerable thought to what we refer to in this nation as Religious Rights. Let’s just take up the religious rights as we are told and taught that is quite evident in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

The reason I chose this source is because of the massive amount of sources that have been used directly, during there time, to make some sense out of what we refer to as religious rights. Using the final draft of the basic ten amendments as penned by President James Madison in 1787, it is doubtful altogether that the language would have come so easily to him. In fact, the majority of these amendments came from phrases that the English people (remember England’s great and vast territories that existed literally around the earth) had gone through the struggles in order to gain these rights.

Therefore, let’s begin with the year of the Magna Carta, 1215, which serves notice to everyone that this was indeed the precedent year and prominence given to that enormous writing surface. This clause should be remembered from all clauses from the Magna Carta,

                No freeman shall be taken or imprisoned or be disseized of his freehold, or liberties, or free customs, or be outlawed or exiled, or any otherwise destroyed, nor will we pass upon him, nor condemn him, but by lawful judgment of his peers, or by the law of the land.

What does this segment from the Magna Carta tell us? Although, it uses “...the law of the land...” but who actually can define this? But there was a law; this the charter says very strongly. And law – Mrs. Clinton, and just about every first time Representative from the House means procedures, procedures even a King (at that time) or President must follow – suffice it to say that no one is bigger or better than the law.

In fact, there were no less than 30 more meetings that were used by townspeople for refining these personal and private laws. William Penn, Roger Sherman, the entire state of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maryland as did the Quakers, Catholics, Episcopalians, stepped up to maintain their own religious rights were being protected.

Indeed, the conference committee made only one important change in the amendments in 1788, just prior to their release as part of the Bill of Rights to the U.S. Constitution. That was the weight and absolute interpretations of the first guarantee of the First Amendment, resulting in the absolute clarity and separation between the church and the state.

                Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

As with all civil liberties, these are not absolute. They must be exercised in a manner that does not conflict with the rights of others.

Having stated this, it is overwhelmingly important to verify and clear up a few things. Basically, this amendment is known as the “Freedom of Religion, Speech, Press, Assemble, and Petition” amendment. However, to avoid conflict say that on March 16, 2019, there was a scheduled Immigration Peace Movement planned at the Empire State Building as put forth by the Irish-Americans and exactly at the same time of 1:00 pm on 3-16-2019. This is a conflict waiting to happen.

To be certain, in my days of protesting one needed to have a signed and true Assembly at streets so as to ensure there would not be any fighting.

How a person could take an oath of office with their hand on the Quran is beyond me. As is the wearing the headscarf whilst being either in the House, Senate, White House, or any government agency is pure.